IRMA JAMES
USER EXPERIENCE DESIGNER / RESEARCHER
"My mother said to me, 'If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope.' Instead, I was a painter, and became Picasso."
PABLO PICASSO
MY WORK
KENT STATE
Marriot Hotel - Nano Usability Test
Background: Marriott Hotel’s website is under review for usability. Research is being conducted to help find areas for improvement in the hotel booking process.
Process: A test group consisting of a frequent traveler, a non-traveler, and an occasional traveler have been tasked with booking a room for an upcoming trip. The participants are 2 males and 1 female in their 30s who are looking to book a room for two adults.
On-Camera Participants:
Participant 1:
A frequent traveler, had no problems searching for a hotel location. She used the large search bar on the landing page to easily find the city desired and then chose a hotel from there.
Participant 2:
An occasional traveler, found that there were too many options to begin his search. First, he utilized the menu bar to navigate to “Find & Reserve.” However, he noticed the “Deals & Packages” menu item and decided to look around that page for more information. Finally, he returned to the main page where he again navigated to “Find & Reserve” and opted to choose his desired city and located the hotel nearest his desired area.
Participant 3:
The non-traveler, chose to scroll through the main page reviewing the graphic links. Having never booked a hotel on Marriott’s website he was not sure where to search or start. The more choices available, the less sure he was of how to begin. After scrolling, he came to the section “Explore Destinations & Experiences.” He then chose the graphic link “Scenic Travel.” From there, he was able to use the map to navigate to his desired city and hotel location.
Recommended Follow-up: More testing regrading the different avenues in which a user can book a hotel should be made. It seems as though the number of options available seemed to overwhelm or confuse the user.
Conclusions: Our findings in the nano-usability testing show that the more seasoned user will find the website easy to navigate. However, for the more novice user, the site may become overwhelming. Further user research will be invaluable for finding the common ground where new users can navigate easily, while returning users will not feel that the site is rudimentary.
Brightline - Usability Testing
Background: Brightline is in constant pursuit of the best customer experience for its users. In order to ensure this, usability testing has been conducted over with several advanced users. Our goal is to find any room for growth or enhancement to the website and also find any flaws that may occur.
Process: Users were gathered and interviewed to observe their interactions with Brightline’s mobile app. Users were given three tasks to complete. We then observed users that have previous experience with booking online. This will give us valuable insight into what customers who are already booking online are looking for in an online transaction.
On-Camera Participants:
Reminder X App - Flowcharts and Wireframes
Background: Design direction to differentiate Reminder X from other similar apps. This design was based on user research conducted in person. 5 users were surveyed and, based on feedback, a design was achieved.
Process: User interviews were conducted to determine important features. Based on feedback received, features were prioritized.
Wireframes:
Sample - Adding a Task to Reminder X
Sample - Sharing a Task with Reminder X
Final Deliverable:
Design Review
Share a Task - Confirmation
Design Review
Google Doodle Archive - Facets and Taxonomy
The Google Doodle Archive (GDA) was assessed for its organization. Facets and Taxonomy were determined for a better archival system.
Identify Problem: GDA has a vast amount of content. However, there are hardly any means as which to filter this information. GDA would be greatly improved if a user could search the archives in a manageable way.
Process:
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Final Deliverable
Table of Contents
Doodle Examples
Final Deliverable
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MOUSER ELECTRONICS
Database Creation for Customer Requests
Mouser Electronics, Inc. 2016-2017
Mouser received hundreds of emails a day with various requests from customers. Most of the requests were being filtered through the quality department. I began to seek a way for the requests to go directly the department responsible for the information to decrease response time and better accommodate our customers.
I took the list of common requests and began to research which department would be able to provide the information to the customer.
By collaborating with other departments we were able to author a spreadsheet that would contain all the pertinent information to respond to a customer's request in the most efficient way. Usability testing was conducting throughout the process by observing sales representatives using the spreadsheet. A panel of quality specialists, sales directors, and high performing sales representatives was formed to continually test and update the spreadsheet.
Mouser received hundreds of emails a day with various requests from customers. Most of the requests were being filtered through the quality department. I began to seek a way for the requests to go directly the department responsible for the information to decrease response time and better accommodate our customers.
Click to Enlarge
Identified Problem: Mouser's Quality Department was inundated with customer documentation requests. Instead of the Quality Department being the hub of information, Mouser needed a database from which to obtain knowledge.
Process: A database of customer requests was created, sorted, and assigned by the responsible party. Each department was consulted and authorized a standard response.
Focus Group: A group consisting of upper-level management, senior-level Sales Representatives, and Quality Specialists was assembled to review the database for clarity.
Soft Launch: The database was rolled-out to corporate headquarters' Sales Representatives for testing.
Field Testing: Quality Specialists observed Sales Representatives utilizing the database and identified pain points.
Global Launch: The database was rolled-out to all 22 global locations.
Ongoing Testing: A monthly focus group was created to ensure ongoing review and maintenance of the database.
Results: Significantly reduced misdirected emails, Quality Department's email traffic, and turn around time on customer requests for Sales Representatives.
